Falling Read online

Once we start eating, it seems like we are just a regular family who does this every evening. Allie tells a story about her partner Toby that has everyone laughing but her. I tell them about Mathletes and my plans for the weekend. We seem so close when we get the time to be together, but these moments are few and far between.

  “Hey, I was wondering if we could do something as a family one day, maybe Sunday? Leah’s family has these nights where they go bowling or to the movies. It sounds fun and we hardly ever spend any time together.” I glance between my mom and dad. “So what do you think?”

  “Sweetie, you know that Sundays are one of my busiest days. I’m sorry but that is when people like to look at houses. I will try to plan something for us." My mom says she will plan, but I can tell by the look on her face that the thought has already left her mind.

  “Abby, I am on call this weekend, but maybe another time. We will do something, I promise." How many promises has Dad broken? Too many for me to believe him. I look at Allie, and she just shrugs with a smile. I feel a little bit better when I look at her, because at least I know I’m not alone. Allie is my real family.

  After supper, I finish up my homework and then call Leah to see how things went with Miles. While I am waiting for someone to answer, I think over my conversation with Blake from earlier. I must have zoned out a little, because a familiar voice is saying my name repeatedly.

  “Abby, you there?" Of course Connor has to answer the phone. There is just no escaping him, he is everywhere.

  “Sorry, I zoned out for a sec. How did you know it was me?”

  Connor titters, “Caller ID. Can you hold for a second, there is another call on the line,” he clicks over before I can answer. As I wait, I pick at my bedspread and wonder what it would be like to call Connor instead of Leah.

  “Sorry about that Ab, I’m back. So what are you up to?”

  “Nothing much, just watching television, you?” I ask just as Connor excuses himself again to answer another call. After a couple of minutes go by and he still hasn’t returned, I decide to hang up and call back later. It must have been someone he needed to talk to, like Ivy.

  I turn on my computer and log on so I can at least chat with Leah since calling her didn’t work. As my computer is booting up, the phone rings. I hear a knock on my door, as my mom sticks her head in and tells me I have a phone call. It must be Leah, Connor must have told her I needed to talk to her.

  “So tell me about Miles,” I say as I put the phone to my ear laughing.

  “He is a guy on the Mathletes team. That is all I know about him.” I gasp when I realize it is not Leah but Connor that called me. “Why do you ask? You interested in him Abby?” Instead of answering I just sit there in silence. Not knowing exactly what to say.

  “Abby, you there?”

  “Yeah, I’m here,” I say with confusion in my voice.

  “I was calling you back since you hung up on me. That person wouldn’t shut up. I tried to get back quicker but I didn’t make it in time. Sorry about that.”

  “It’s okay." I have no idea what to say to Connor and I can’t believe he called me back. He must think I was calling him for some reason. I probably need to straighten this out. “I was just calling to talk to Leah. If you needed the phone, I could have talked to her later.”

  “Oh . . . of course, you wanted to talk to Leah. Hold on one second,” he said right before I hear him holler for her to pick up.

  “Connor, did you think I called you?" I ask hesitantly.

  “Here’s Leah. See you later,” he says without answering my question. Before I can say anything more to him, Leah’s voice fills the void with a description of Miles and her ride home. As I continue to listen to my best friend, I think about Connor and wish I had just talked to him like a friend.

  Chapter 4

  I love Fridays. First of all, no school for two days, which means I can relax. Secondly, every Friday evening, we load up in the Sparks' station wagon and go watch Connor play whichever sport is in season. In the fall it is football, in the winter it is basketball, and in the spring it is baseball. I have been joining in on this Friday night routine since last year when Connor started playing varsity sports. The Sparks always go and watch Connor and Leah in all the activities they participate in. They are so supportive.

  This week’s football game is at Forest High School, about 30 minutes away, so the Sparks and I packed up our usual gear. My gear consists of a stadium seat and a jacket. Sometimes the Sparks will even bring hot chocolate, but that would be later in the season when it gets cold.

  At football games, Leah and I usually sit with some of the members of the Mathletes. After we get settled in on the bleachers, I turn towards the field and search for number 45 automatically. He is so cute in his uniform. I try not to stare too much because I don’t want to be obvious but it is really hard not to. I don’t really understand football, but I do know that sometimes Connor will run the ball in for a touchdown. When he scores, he does this little hip shake to celebrate and it always makes me laugh. He can be so funny sometimes, and that just makes me want to be with him more. When I laugh, Leah glances at me and rolls her eyes.

  “You have got to get over this crush. You know he started dating Samantha Hardy, right? They have been out three times now. That is big for my brother."

  I groan, “Three times, really. That is serious for Connor,” I say sadly. “I know he doesn’t see me as anything other than his little sister’s best friend, but I can still look right?"

  She sighs, “I think we need to find you a boyfriend. Who is there? How about Kyle from your English class? He is cute and sweet."

  I wrinkle my nose, “I saw Kyle picking his nose the other day, and I can’t get that picture out of my head. So, no way."

  “Okay, let me think. How about Blake from Mathletes? He is a senior, good looking, athletic, and super nice. He’s perfect. Plus I saw you two talking the other night at Charlie’s."

  I have to admit Blake is hot and sweet. He is tall and has short brown hair. I have checked him out several times, including the other night at Charlie’s. He has the body of a runner, lanky but muscular. Maybe Leah is right, maybe it is time to admit that Connor is out of my reach. “Blake does sound perfect. I guess I could flirt with him a little. Although, please try to remember the last time I used my flirting skills on someone." Last year, I tried to flirt with a guy in my history class and he thought I was harassing him. He actually went to the teacher and requested to have his seat changed to get away from me. I am terrible at it. I over think everything and then get so nervous it makes me feel sick. I prefer to just take control and ask the guy out. I can flirt if I am not thinking about it, but when I tense up it’s like I have word vomit. “Maybe I should just ask him out.”

  “I say, go for it. The worst he can say is no."

  “All right, on Monday I will try to catch him alone, and see if he wants to hang out or something." Project "Forget Connor" starts Monday. For the remainder of the football game, I tried to focus on Blake in his uniform, but Connor was always close by or stealing my attention. This may take a little time.

  After the game, I usually spend the night at Leah’s. It is our weekly ritual. We always watch a movie and snack, while we talk about whatever needs to be discussed. I have the feeling Miles and Blake are on the agenda.

  “So are you seriously going to ask Blake out?" Leah asks. I see I was right.

  “Yeah. You are right, I need to get over this thing I have for Connor.”

  “Just think, if we both got boyfriends, we could go on double dates. That would be so much fun." Leah is such a romantic. “So what movie you want to watch? I think it is my pick. If I recall, we watched The Shining last time.”

  “Why don’t I ever get to pick the movie?” Connor asks from the doorway.

  “Because you weren’t invited to the sleepover,” Leah says with a shake of her head.

  “Come on Leah, let me pick just this once,” Connor pleads.

 
“Connor, you have a television and DVD player in your room, you watch whatever you want there,” she argues. Connor turns to leave the room and we both notice he looks sad. I glare at Leah and she finally relents.

  “Fine, but you better not pick something scary. Pick something with a happy ending,” Leah smiles. Watching Leah and Connor argue is like watching a tennis match.

  “Hey, Blake let me borrow Men in Black 3, how’s that?”

  “Connor, that is not a happy ending movie, don’t you have anything funny we can watch?” She protest.

  “What do you think Abby?” Connor asks me with a look.

  “I am not getting involved. It’s up to you guys. But the longer you argue, the less chance we have of staying awake during the movie. You guys know we usually fall asleep. So for goodness sake just play something.”

  “Okay, Men in Black 3 it is. Thanks Abby for agreeing with me.” Connor says as he starts the movie. I glare at him, which makes him chuckle. We all get into our usually spots. Leah is curled up in her twin bed, I am in my sleeping bag on the floor, and Connor is lying in the floor next to me. You would think with my crush, I would get nervous but I don’t. I guess I have been in this spot so many times, I am used to it.

  “So, Blake said he went out to eat with the Mathletes. That must have been interesting. He told me about the two girls staring at him. I wish I had been there to tease him,” Connor snickers.

  “Yeah, Blake was a big hit with everyone. That’s probably the first time I really talked to him. He seems like a great guy,” I reply.

  Connor looks at me sharply, “Abby, do you like Blake?"

  “No, I mean yes. I mean I like him. He seems really nice. I don’t know. I think I will shut up now.” I reply as my cheeks turn pink.

  “So you might like him?” Connor asks and then continues to stare at me when I don’t answer.

  “Abby? Answer me. Do you like Blake?” He asks again, now sounding a little annoyed.

  “I don’t know, Connor. I don’t really know him all that well. Why are you getting so upset about this? He is your best friend. What’s wrong with me liking Blake?”

  “Nothing is wrong with it. Look, I’m sorry. I guess it just surprised me, that’s all. Now shut up and let me watch the movie.“ Then he turns toward the television and stopped talking to me completely. I continued to stare at Connor but he totally ignored me. After a few minutes of quick glances from the corner of my eye, Connor finally gave me a questioning look.

  “Why are you being a jerk about this?" I ask in a huff.

  “Look, I am just tired, and I don’t really care if you like him or not. If you want, I could talk to him for you,” he says with a roll of his eyes.

  “No thanks. I don’t want you to mention this conversation to anyone. Okay?” I scowl. This is the absolutely worst conversation that I could have with Connor. Although, maybe if he sees me liking someone else he will notice me more. No way will that ever work, and plus, Blake is too nice of a guy to be treated that way. I don’t want to use Blake just to get Connor’s attention. I guess I will just take this liking Blake one day at a time.

  **********

  As I enter school on Monday, I am looking forward to finally getting over Connor and moving on, hopefully with Blake. I really want a boyfriend. I see couples in the halls at school and it makes me feel lonely. It probably doesn’t help that my parents are always too busy for me.

  I am running a bit behind again so I hurry through the halls keeping an eye out for a lanky body with dark brown hair. Okay, so I am also looking for a blond as well. Old habits die hard. Good grief I have got to start getting to school earlier. I have seen Blake coming out of the cafeteria in the morning, so I bet he eats breakfast at school. Okay new plan, if I don’t see him today, it will be a school breakfast tomorrow.

  As I turn the corner to head to English, I stumble over a pencil and crash into the wall, which makes me dump my books into the floor. Goodness I am just so graceful. I don’t understand why I can’t walk without falling or stumbling into things. It just happens.

  This time my books just happen to land on Blake’s foot. He reaches down and starts gathering up my books and notebooks for me. This is just so perfect, I couldn’t have planned it better myself.

  “Hey Blake, thanks for helping me.” I laugh.

  He glances at me and grins, “Does this happen to you a lot? Because I could swear that you fell up the stairs last week and I helped you then, too."

  I roll my eyes, “Yeah, I just can’t seem to stay on my feet. So, I saw you play on Friday, you did great." I did see him play even if my attention was focused on number 45. I figure I might be able to soften him up with some compliments.

  “Thanks. You go to the games with the Sparks, right?"

  “Every week. Leah is my best friend.”

  “Yeah, you two are always together. So, Mathletes competition on Wednesday, right?” he asks with a smile.

  “Yeah, you get to go, right?

  “Of course, I wouldn’t miss the chance to hang around with you.” I blush. “Alright well, class is calling my name. I guess I will see you later Abby.” Blake squeezes my arm as he heads off down the hall.

  “Later Blake,” I say with a wave. Crap! I totally didn’t say anything about hanging out. Oh well, it was a nice start, though. I guess that means breakfast tomorrow. He squeezed my arm, that is a good sign. It didn’t give me the tingles like it does when Connor touches me. I guess it might just take a little time.

  After school, I pick up Allie and head home. Most afternoons I don’t mind watching my sister but there are some days I just want to do my own thing. When my mom finally gets home, I pick up Leah and we head towards Blue’s Fitness Club, where we work out at least three times a week.

  I may not enjoy exercise but I refuse to turn into a ball of fat like some of my relatives. I am tall compared to other girls my age, but I also like to eat, so exercise keeps me from gaining weight. Leah, on the other hand, has the Spark family genetics, which means she could eat anything and sit around the house, and not gain an ounce. Sometimes, I just want to kick her. At the gym, we jog, swim, or catch an aerobics class, depending on Leah’s mood. Today, the aerobics class looks full, so we head to the treadmills.

  Leah always watches television when she runs, but I prefer to listen to music and people watch. As I am glancing around, I spot Samantha Hardy walking on the indoor track. The Samantha that Connor has been on three dates with. Why do I have to see her now when I am surrounded by mirrors, which clearly show the differences in our looks? I notice that all the guys around us notice her and continue to check her out after she passes us. Guys are so superficial.

  Samantha Hardy had one class with me last year. We both took Spanish. Let me just say that she is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she is definitely the shiniest. My experiences with this particular girl have not been pleasant.

  It all started when I ran into her desk. This alone would not have been a big deal, but she had a fruit punch sitting on the corner of her desk and it spilled all over her. She happened to be wearing a white blouse. She has pretty much hated me from that moment on. After that, she would do things to hurt me, like look at my outfits and make comments to her friends just loud enough so I would hear them. I mean, I mostly wear jeans and t-shirts, while she tends to lean towards more girly clothes, like little skirts and tops. Their comments hurt my feelings, but I tried to pretend it didn’t bother me. Thank goodness she is not in my Spanish II class this year, I don’t think I could pretend anymore.

  I still can’t believe that Connor would date someone like that. But Connor acts differently around people at school than he does when he is with his family. She must act differently around him too, I mean surely he wouldn’t date someone he knew bullied people. I have got to stop thinking about him. Blake is my new focus. If I keep repeating it to myself, it will become true.

  After our workout, we headed back to Leah’s house to study for a test on Thursday
. Leah draped herself across her bed with her book, while I sat on the floor. We were calling off questions to each other when we heard a giggle from downstairs.

  “Samantha is here. She is here all the time now. I bet she is staying for dinner. Hey, are you staying? Please say yes, Abby. Don’t leave me with my family and that spoiled brat,” Leah begs.

  “Fine, I will stay, but she has hated me ever since the fruit punch incident. You have to promise to protect me if she tries to body slam me,” I say laughing.

  “If she touches one hair on your head, her ass is grass,” she grins. “Let's go be social then, shall we?”

  Once downstairs, I start rethinking my decision to stay for dinner. I have not had any contact with Samantha since last year, but from her hostile looks, she still hates me. Leah and I sit down at the table and start fixing our plates.

  “You know Abby don’t you Samantha?” asks Mrs. Sparks.

  “Yes, we had a class together last year. Although we didn’t really talk to each other very much,” she smirks in my direction.

  “Abby is basically a part of our family. Leah and Abby are glued together. She is here so much, we should probably give her a bedroom,” laughs Mr. Sparks.

  “Yeah, Abby is a hoot. She falls and runs into things, which is always entertaining. She keeps us laughing,” Connor adds with a wink in my direction.

  “Thanks a lot, Connor. Next time I knock you down, I will kick you hard so you stay there.”

  I laugh. I really do love hanging out with the Sparks. They are so much fun.

  “Yeah, like that will happen again. Don’t make threats you can’t keep, Klutzy." I am so caught up laughing with the Sparks that I don’t notice Samantha staring at me like I am a bug that needs to be squashed.

  Chapter 5

  My plan is to go to breakfast in the cafeteria, sit with Blake, somehow bring up movies, and then ask him. Leah and I practiced it on the phone last night. It worked with her, but then again, she is my best friend.